Grant Opportunities

United Way provides financial support to nonprofit partners across Western Connecticut through its annual Community Impact grant cycle.

 

In addition, UWWC partners with the City of Danbury to administer Social Service Grants to Danbury-based nonprofits and helps to administer the Emergency Food & Shelter Program for both the Greater Danbury and City of Stamford jurisdictions.

 
e-CImpact is United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut's online system for managing its resource investment process annually. Through e-CImpact, Agencies will submit applications, and provide reports and accountability documents. Volunteers who participate on the Community Investment Review Teams and other funding review committees will also have electronic access to Agency and Program information to assist in their decision-making.

AGENCIES & VOLUNTEERS

UW IMPACT PHILANTHROPY MINI-GRANT PROCESS RFP OPEN MARCH 11, 2024 - APRIL 5, 2024

United Way provides financial support to nonprofit partners across Coastal and Western Connecticut through its annual Impact Philanthropy grant cycle. Please read this post for more information regarding our FY 25 grant process.

Through our Impact Philanthropy process, we are dedicated to distributing $500,000 in grants for the upcoming Fiscal Year, aimed at fostering significant and positive changes within our community in health, education, and financial stability.

The FY 2025 Impact Philanthropy Mini-Grant RFP provides an opportunity to apply for unrestricted grants from $2,500 to $10,000 out of a newly created $100,000 pool of dollars. We recognize that community needs far outpace the available funding, making it likely that we will receive more applications than we can fund. As such, this fund is earmarked for organizations that did not receive FY 24 grants through either legacy United Way. To be eligible, nonprofits must work in the critical areas of health, education, and financial stability. Organizations that have partnered with us through United Way's fiduciary work with the City of Danbury and the Social Equity Council are encouraged to apply. Qualifying agencies can begin applying on Monday, March 11 at https://agency.e-cimpact.com/login.aspx?org=08090F. Applications will close on Friday, April 5 at 11:59pm. For a PDF of the Notice of Funding and application, click here.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Create/Sign into your e-CImpact account 

  • The UWCWC uses the e-CImpact Grant Management system for organizations to submit grant applications and reports.  
  • All applicants must register online and create an account in order to submit their application. Please refer to the e-CImpact Registration Manual for specific steps on how to register for e-CImpact.  
  • If an applicant already has an account in the system, they can continue to use that account for this application.  

2. Review the application and required attachments. 

3. Application Submission Options: 

  • Complete the application through our e-CImpact Grants Management Software (preferred method) 
  • Complete the Word version of the application and submit to: communityimpact@unitedwaycwc.org. A member of the UWCWC Community Impact team will upload your application to the e-CImpact system. 

Application deadline: April 5th, 2024 at 11:59 pm.  

UNITED WAY SOCIAL EQUITY COUNCIL GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED

United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut, will distribute $1.8 million in grant funding to support projects in Bridgeport and Stamford that uplift communities and strengthen families disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. $900,000 will be designated for each community. United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut (UWCWC) will serve as the third-party grant manager for the pilot Community Reinvestment Grant from Connecticut’s Social Equity Council, which aims to reinvest state cannabis revenues back into affected communities. Qualifying nonprofits can begin applying on July 5, 2023 https://bit.ly/e-cimpact.

Funds can be allocated for programs designed to uplift impacted communities and families focused on the two areas of (1) reentry and reintegration, and (2) youth education and recreation. This includes programs that support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families; civil legal aid; justice-involved youth; expungement/criminal record erasure; homelessness; family stability; enrichment programs for young people and their families that assist in preparing the future workforce; STEM/STEAM; financial literacy; promoting physical and mental health wellness; sports; mentoring; youth and parent leadership and empowerment; creative culture programs; community uplifting; and organizing and empowerment.

Source of the Funds:

Funding for all Social Equity Council programs and activities is sales tax revenue from Connecticut’s Adult-Use Cannabis Industry, which is not federally legal at this time. Applicants should check with their legal counsel, funders and/or governing body to determine eligibility to apply for and receive these funds. Verification of eligibility is the sole responsibility of interested applicants.

How to Apply:

  1. Review the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
  2. Watch the Zoom Information Sessions: 
    • Session 1: July 10th, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. LINK TO VIDEO
    • Session 2: July 13th, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. LINK TO VIDEO
  3. Create/Sign into your e-CImpact account. The UWCWC uses the e-CImpact Grant Management system for organizations to submit grant applications and reports. All applicants must register online and create an account in order to submit their application. Please refer to the e-CImpact Registration Manual for specific steps on how to register for e-CImpact. If an applicant already has an account in the system, they can continue to use that account for this application.

Review the application and required attachments. Submit the application and supporting documents through the e-CImpact platform. Application deadline: August 3, 2023 at 5:00p.m.

A paper application has been made available and can be downloaded here for those who cannot access the e-CImpact grant portal. Please be sure to review the Notice of Funding Availability for details on all required documents. Word (.doc) | PDF (.pdf)

Need additional information?

Please review the Social Equity Council Glossary of Terms and FAQs

Contact the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut team at Victoria.scofield@uwwesternct.org or Meghan.Hadley@uwwesternct.org.

CITY OF DANBURY GRANT PROCESS - CLOSED UNTIL SUMMER 2024

Since 2009,  United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut has partnered with the City of Danbury to administer Social Service Grants. Agencies that provide services in the following three areas will be eligible for funding and are invited to apply: 

  • Housing/Shelter - Safe and affordable housing access and retention. Including shelter, rent/mortgage assistance, utility assistance, deposit assistance, etc.

  • Mental Health - Including behavioral health, youth mental health programs, etc.

  • Food Security - Including food pantries, mass feeding providers, etc.

The City of Danbury Grant Process is currently OPEN for applications until July 1st, 2023 at 5:00 pm. Please complete the application form on our e-CImpact software, but we have provided an editable version for those who want to draft their responses prior to submitting in the software. All 501(c)(3) organizations located in the Greater Danbury area and serve Danbury residents are eligible for funding.

For more information on the City of Danbury Grant Process, please review our City of Danbury Grants 23-24 Notice of Funds Availability.

Please contact Victoria Scofield at Victoria.scofield@uwwesternct.org or 203-883-6704 with any questions about the application process or if you are interested in serving on a review committee. City of Danbury Grant Review Roles and Responsibilities (PDF)

EMERGENCY FOOD & SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) GRANT PROCESS – CLOSED

For Greater Danbury & City of Stamford Only

The EFSP was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic (not disaster-related) emergencies. EFSP funding is restricted Federal Funding awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people.

For more information on the EFSP grant process eligibility, please read our EFSP Background & Eligibility Criteria Document.

Greater Danbury Grant Process Information

Funding Awarded to Greater Danbury Jurisdiction: $61,046

Application Due Date: Monday, March 6th, 2023

Editable Version of the Application (Click to Download)

Local Board Contact: Victoria Scofield at 203-883-6704 or victoria.scofield@uwwesternct.org.

City of Stamford Grant Process Information

Funding Awarded to City of Stamford Jurisdiction: $100,290

Application Due Date: Friday, March 3rd, 2023

Editable Version of the Application (Click to Download)

Local Board Contact: Meghan Hadley at 203-883-6034 or meghan.hadley@uwwesternct.org.


 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information about these opportunities, or to serve on a grant review team, please contact: 

Greater Danbury/Northern Fairfield County

Victoria Scofield at Victoria.scofield@uwwesternct.org or 203-883-6704

Greater New Milford/Southern Litchfield County

Katy Francis at Katy.francis@uwwesternct.org or 860-354-8800  

Greater Bridgeport

Archeline Youte at archeline.youte@unitedwaycwc.org or 203-448-246 

Greater Norwalk/City of Stamford

Alicia Nowlin-Downey at alicia.nowlin-downey@unitedwaycwc.org or 203-297-6283